Sarcocystis neurona: Molecular characterization of enolase domain I region and a comparison to other protozoa

• Published in: Experimental parasitology 2008-09, Vol.120 (1), p.108-112
• Main Authors: Bolten, K.E., Marsh, A.E., Reed, S.M., Dubey, J.P., Toribio, R.E., Saville, W.J.A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; amino acid sequences; Animals; Armadillos; Base Sequence; Besnoitia darlingi; Biological and medical sciences; conserved sequences; developmental stages; DNA, Protozoan - chemistry; Enolase; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; gene expression; genes; Horses; hydro-lyases; Immunoblotting - veterinary; immunohistochemistry; Immunohistochemistry - veterinary; Life cycle. Host-agent relationship. Pathogenesis; Mice; Mice, Knockout; Molecular Sequence Data; Neospora caninum; Neospora hughesi; nucleotide sequences; Opossums; parasites; Phosphopyruvate Hydratase - chemistry; Phosphopyruvate Hydratase - genetics; Phosphopyruvate Hydratase - immunology; phylogeny; Plasmodium falciparum; Protozoa; Protozoal myeloencephalitis; Sarcocystidae; Sarcocystis - enzymology; Sarcocystis - genetics; Sarcocystis - immunology; Sarcocystis dasypi; Sarcocystis falcatula; Sarcocystis neurona; Sequence Alignment - veterinary; sequence analysis; sequence homology; Toxoplasma gondii; Trypanosoma cruzi
• ISSN: 0014-4894; 1090-2449
• DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2008.05.004

Sarcocystis neurona causes protozoal myeloencephalitis and has the ability to infect a wide host range in contrast to other Sarcocystis species. In the current study, five S. neurona isolates from a variety of sources, three Sarcocystis falcatula, one Sarcocystis dasypi/S. neurona-like isolate, and one Besnoitia darlingi isolate were used to compare the enolase 2 gene segment containing the domain I region to previously sequenced enolase genes from Neospora caninum, Neospora hughesi, Toxoplasma gondii, Plasmodium falciparum, and Trypanosoma cruzi; enolase 2 segment containing domain I region is highly conserved amongst these parasites of veterinary and medical importance. Immunohistochemistry results indicates reactivity of T. gondii enolase 1 and 2 antibodies to S. neurona merozoites and metrocytes, but no reactivity of anti-enolase 1 to the S. neurona bradyzoite stage despite reactivity to T. gondii bradyzoites, suggesting expression differences between organisms.